2025-26 School Year
Welcome! Programs run weekdays throughout the school year and are open to any high-school-aged teen. ALL PROGRAMS ARE FREE, though donations are welcome.
NOTE: Neutral Zone will be CLOSED for Spring Break March 30-April 3 following the AAPS schedule. We will reopen Monday, April 6th.
NZ PANTRY FOOD DRIVE
Neutral Zone’s food pantry provides access to healthy, nutritious food for youth and their families. We need additional assistance from our community to fill the pantry.
You are welcome to bring donations any time, but we are especially looking for individuals, groups, clubs and businesses to use the sign-up form below to host a drive to gather items together.
Donations may be dropped off at the Neutral Zone, 310 E. Washington. Monday -Friday, 2-6pm.
NZ Updates
Our Mission
Neutral Zone is a transformative, youth-driven community where youth embrace their power, ignite their creativity, and launch their future to build equity, justice, and collective liberation.
-Approved October 28, 2023
Our Approach
YOUTH DRIVEN SPACES
OUR YOUTH DRIVEN SPACES APPROACH
Historically, adults struggle to find effective strategies to support meaningful opportunities for youth to lead their own initiatives or learning. We have drawn on our more than 20 year experience to develop a “youth-driven” philosophy that rests on three core practices:
1) Tapping teens’ intrinsic motivation
2) Supporting teens’ developmental needs; and
3) Fostering genuine partnerships between adults and youth.
At Neutral Zone, we are grateful to provide youth with a place to authentically be themselves, to belong, and be celebrated.
At a gathering last year, we were honored when an NZ teen told us we were doing just that.
“I’d like to say a few words about my experience here …